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Standardized Testing: Not a Predictor of Success

Opinion Column by Logan Becher, a senior at Leigh High School on February 05, 2019

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Love them or hate them, standardized tests are a big part of the education system in America. All throughout their elementary and high school careers, students continuously take standardized tests—such as ACT, MAPS, and, in Nebraska, NSCAS (formerly known as NeSA)—as a way to measure the knowledge and ability of students.

Although standardized tests are viewed as a reliable and objective measure for a student’s achievement by many schools and college institutions, I believe these tests should be eliminated because they do not reflect how hard the student works or their character as a person.

In today’s society, the significance of standardized testing has never been greater. Knowing this, teachers often focus on the key pieces of information that the students will need to know. Yet, this ultimately leads to a narrowing of curriculum in schools and an overall lower quality education. Instead of focusing on these “important” pieces, schools should be teaching students life skills that they will use upon graduation. Even though I do have an overall understanding of useful things after high school—such as conversation skills, money management, general car repair, insurance, and proper etiquette—there is so much more information that could be taught about these things. I have also personally felt a pressure to make sure that I am learning the things that will be on a test, only to forget what I have been taught a year later. In my experience, the education system focuses more on memorization rather than the ability to retain information that will be useful later in life.

In fact, excessive test taking is not just burdensome to students, but it can actually be detrimental to learning. Repeatedly taking standardized tests simply teaches students how to cheat the test, rather than show what they actually know. I can attest to this after taking the ACT six times throughout my high school career. Yes, six!  As one of countless students who has taken ACT prep courses, and taken the actual ACT test more times than I like to think about, I realize that this test has molded my mind to be able figure out how I can quickly use tricks to solve the problem without actually doing the work or problem-solving. Yet, this is a method that many students, including myself, do not benefit from.

Over my years of high school, I’ve realized that I am an analytical thinker when solving any sort of problem or making a decision and I am not apt to make a split second decision. Being one that really has to process and think about every situation before making a decision has even affected me outside of testing, more specifically in picking a college. The way that I comprehend information and solve problems is not ideal for making quick decisions, similar to ones that must be made during the ACT test.

Test anxiety is another issue that I’ve found can be created from excessive test taking. Athletes often describe having heightened senses that can be used to their advantage in high pressure systems, such as the ability to quiet their minds and zone out the audience. I personally have had the exact opposite experience, along with many other students who feel the effects of test anxiety. Being under a strict time limit, such as on the ACT, I often panic and ultimately struggle to finish the test on time. This has essentially hindered my ability to score higher on timed tests like the ACT.

Often times college admission or scholarship committees base their decisions on these ACT or SAT scores of students. Committees view these tests as a neutral yardstick for measuring student potential and performance, when I believe that they are actually rather biased and misused. These standardized tests don’t show my or other student’s academic ability and knowledge. I have never really struggled in school. I’ve always had good grades and understand what I am being taught, though my ACT score may not suggest this. While I do have an above average ACT score, it is not as high as I would like. Every time that I have taken a timed test, I simply run out of time and have to guess on the remaining questions. There is no way that this benefits students whatsoever. These committees also don’t take into account the hard work and dedication that students put into their education, which ultimately is a better predictor of a student’s success after high school than a test score.

While standardized tests are a major part of the American education system, I feel that they don’t serve their intended purpose. Not all students think or work at the same pace or in the same way, which is essentially why standardized tests are ineffective. Many students, including myself, have experienced negative effects from the heavy reliance on standardized tests, such as the ACT. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter if we love them or hate them... they will continue to play a large part of the educational system.